1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computers and, more particularly, to computer-implemented gaming systems.
2. Related Art
Computer gaming systems are typically comprised of computer stations including a display device, a wager or bet-acceptor, and controls such as buttons, keyboards, levers or the like. Typically, computer gaming stations are dedicated to only one type of game (e.g., video poker, black jack, slot machine) and their physical appearance, as well as the location of the controls, are customized for the game provided. Gaming stations may be modified to provide a different type of game, but this typically requires hardware modifications to be performed (e.g., changing an electronic card on which the game program is stored).
The terms xe2x80x9cgamexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cgaming,xe2x80x9d as used herein, include all types of electronic, electromechanical or mechanical gambling and casino game facsimiles (as defined in 15 U.S.C. 11719(a) (2) or (3), such as faro, monte, roulette, keno, bingo, fan-tan, twenty-one, blackjack, seven-and-a-half, big injun, klondike, craps, poker, chuck-a-luck, Chinese chuck-a-luck (dai shu), wheel of fortune, chemin de fir, baccarat, pai gow, beat the banker, panguingui, slot machines, video poker machines, etc.; lottery, sports betting and pari-mutuel wagering as well as games of skill and or strategy such as chess, checkers, backgammon, xe2x80x9cboardxe2x80x9d games such as Monopoly and Scrabble, card games such as Pinochle, Hearts, Spades; video based games such as Doom, Pong, Packman, Myst; video games based on sports such as golf, baseball, football, basketball, soccer, rugby; arcade type games; non-house stake games between two or more players; games defined by IGRA (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act) as class II games.
Physical embodiments of various games from the past have been reimplemented into microcomputer-based video gaming stations during the last 20 years. This reimplementation has been motivated by reliability, manufacturability, and ultimately, total cost of maintaining the computer (video) gaming station during its useful life.
In addition, computer systems have been devised where a cluster of gaming stations are controlled by a central computer. The central computer can xe2x80x9cdownloadxe2x80x9d and thereby change the game program executed by a gaming station or even allow players at different gaming stations to play against one another, with the house (or casino) levying a periodic fee for the privilege of using the gaming station.
Finally, casino gaming websites allow casino games to be played on a website connected to the Internet. In such systems, a user connects to the website via the Internet using a web browser. A web page (HTML code) is then downloaded from a server/host computer associated with the website to the user""s computer. Typically, the web page comprises formatted text, graphics and links to other web pages. In addition, the web page may contain one or more applets. When a web page containing an applet is downloaded onto the user computer, JAVA(trademark) bytecodes associated with the applet are also downloaded to and executed on the user""s computer. Web pages can also contain Java Script(trademark) and/or Visual Basic (VB) script and use Common Gateway Interface (CGI) based scripting to provide dynamic web pages.
However, in all of these non-website-based systems the gaming program is executed in whole or in part on the individual gaming station. As a result, each gaming station becomes expensive to manufacture. Because the physical structure of the gaming stations is designed to accommodate a particular game, multiple game stations require additional hardware and, therefore, further increase the cost of a cluster of these stations.
In addition, since the games are executed on individual gaming stations, modifications and upgrades to the gaming programs require access to the individual gaming stations, which renders the gaming stations inaccessible to the patron during the modification and/or upgrade process.
The present invention provides a computer gaming system and method of operation thereof that both drastically reduces the cost and substantially increases the tamper resistance of individual gaming stations. The computer gaming system of the present invention allows concurrent access to multiple computer gaming programs from individual gaming stations by a patron. Moreover, the computer gaming system of the present invention allows for transparent modifications and upgrades to the computer gaming programs and the associated pay tables. Furthermore, the computer gaming system of the present invention enables concurrent, non-intrusive status monitoring of clustered gaming stations for engineering maintenance and regulatory purposes. This functionality is implemented by executing various gaming and related game management programs exclusively on a server/host computer connected to a plurality of remote client/terminal computers via communication pathways. Each client/terminal computer comprises a client/terminal program that allows the computer gaming program executed on the server/host computer to accept input from the patrons, and control the gaming content of an output information stream directed to the client/terminal computers.
Since the gaming programs and the associated gaming display generation programs are executed entirely on the server/host computer, with only input wagering and output screen display related operations being executed on the client/terminal computers, the cost of the hardware and software required for each client/terminal computer is greatly reduced. Moreover, the xe2x80x9cfairness or regulatory compliancexe2x80x9d of the various computer gaming programs being executed on the server/host computer can be continually monitored by the duly authorized regulators in whose jurisdiction the server/host computer and client/terminal computers reside. Furthermore, the periodic maintenance leading to reliability and availability improvements can also be performed largely on the server/host computer. Additionally, a patron using any one of the cluster of client/terminal computers can access any of the computer gaming programs being concurrently executed on the server/host computer. Modifications and upgrades of the computer gaming programs only need to be performed on the server/host computer, thereby minimizing the unavailability of the gaming stations.
Finally, by using a touch screen display device, the computer gaming system of the present invention allows customization of game controls for each computer gaming program without requiring additional hardware controls to be provided on each gaming station.